U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Foreign Operations and related programs on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, February 28. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

James H. Billington reads Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" at the Family Storytelling Stage. Over 100 top authors and thousands of visitors gathered on the National Mall for the two day 12th National Book Festival on Sept. 22-23, 2012.

Fame All Stars - Super Seniors (Midlothian, VA)
Hundreds of competitors from Virginia to Pennsylvania gathered on January 7-8, 2012 for the 5th annual Live! DC regional cheerleading and dance competition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District. Participating teams competed in 5 class levels in a number of categories. The event was sponsored by The JAM brands (Louisville KY) which provides products and services for the cheerleading and dance industry.

An overflow crowd of supporters attended a GOP rally at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Virginia on Saturday afternoon, August 11 2012. , Earlier that morning, Romney had introduced Paul Ryan as his running mate.

The space shuttle Discovery, attached to a modified NASA 747 aircraft, flies over Washington, D.C., Tuesday, April 17, 2012, as it makes its way to its permanent new home, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Alas, poor Yorick! - Georgetown grad Michael Benz as Hamlet. "Hamlet" came to the Folger for a two-week run courtesy of London-based Shakespeare’s Globe. This production has already toured Britain extensively and began its North American trip here in Washington, D.C.

Partially undressed women were allowed to protest in front of the White House on August 26 2012 as part of what they called "National Go-Topless Day" to draw attention to inequality in topless rights between men and women.

The Music Center at Strathmore was host to a moving celebration in honor of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 16, 2012. The highlight of the program was Dr. King himself, in the guise of Mr. Gregg Riley, a talented actor and a dead ringer for the noted civil rights leader.

Gabriela Paz from Venezuela
The Citi Open tennis tournament was held in the Rock Creek Park section of Washington, DC., from July 28 thru August 5, 2012 and included women participants for the first time. (7/28/12)

This pitcher plant lures insects into its mouth. The Real and Imaginary World of Carnivorous Plants tells the story of carnivorous plants and their astounding adaptations to inhospitable habitats, at the US Botanic Gardens through October 8, 2012.

Burma's democracy leader, Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, at a ceremony Sept. 19, 2012 in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush joined congressional leaders to pay tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi, who was first awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008, while she was under 15 years of house arrest in her native country, Burma, also known as Myanmar. Four years after being awarded the medal, Suu Kyi was finally able to accept the honor in person.

Susan Clark is against Obamacare.
Opponents and supporters of the health care reform law clashed outside the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, March 27, 2012. The Court Held Hearings on the Constitutionality of the President's Health Care Reform Bill.

Ettian Scott (41) kicks a successful extra point for Brown. The Hoyas fell to the Bears at All-Sports Field on the Goergetown University Campus by the score of 37-10, but the Hoyas still have more wins than losses for the year. (Sept. 29, 2012)

Scott Land Marionettes from Los Angeles, CA and his Mitt Romney and Barack Obama Puppets participate in the “Million Puppet March” on the Capitol on Nov. 3, 2012 just three days before the presidential election. Four year old Apollo from Hyattsville MD watches with interest. The march was a response to Mitt Romney's proposal during a presidential debate to reduce the national deficit in part by cutting funding for PBS and programs such as "Sesame Street."

Damani Taylor (Washington DC) stands in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on October 10, 2012 in Washington D.C. Taylor carries sign that reads "Equal Opportunity". The Supreme Court was hearing a challenge to its long-standing ruling that race may be considered as a factor in the admissions process (affirmative action). Justices were debating the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. The outcome could have major implications for higher education. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presented "Fully Charged" at the Verizon Center in Washington DC with shows on March 15-18. After the DC run, the show moves on to Baltimore, Md., and then Fairfax, Va., in April (March 15, 2012)

The Citi Open tennis tournament was held in the Rock Creek Park section of Washington, DC., from July 28 thru August 5, 2012 and included women participants for the first time.
Taiwanese-American Vania King lost to top-seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a semi-final match.

Participants in the "Million Puppet March," an event to support funding for public broadcasting, gathered at the Capitol Reflecting Pool on Saturday, November 3, 2012 in Washington D.C. just three days before the presidential election. It was a response to Mitt Romney's proposal during a presidential debate to reduce the national deficit in part by cutting funding for PBS and programs such as "Sesame Street." In photo, Jer Gallagher and his puppet Cooper of Seattle WA (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Eleanor Davenport (age 4) and Marianne Cohen (3) try out solar glasses in front of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Hundreds of astronomy enthusiasts, young and old, turned out on on June 5, 2012 to view a rare astronomical event which occurs when the planet Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun. It is something that won't happen again for at least another 100 years.

Activists marched around the White House on Nov. 18, 2012 in protest of the XL Pipeline carrying a 500 foot inflatable replica of a pipeline, and to remind President Obama of his election-night promise to address climate change. It was organized by environmentalist Bill McKibbon and 350.org.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presented "Fully Charged" at the Verizon Center in Washington DC with shows on March 15-18, 2012. After the DC run, the show moves on to Baltimore, Md., and then Fairfax, Va., in April

The Washington Savoyards, the professional light opera company, begin their 40th Season performing the music of the celebrated team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II to fine reviews at the Atlas Theater in Washington DC. Performances continue thru May 6, 2012. Scott Russell, Emily Levey and Nick Lehan in photo.

From above, members of the United States Capitol Police stand guard as Senator Daniel Inouye lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. There, his colleagues and members of the public will pay their respects to the Senate’s second-longest serving member. The Democrat from Hawaii was a Medal of Honor recipient for valor in World War II. He died Monday from respiratory ailments at age 88. Lying in state is an honor typically reserved for presidents, bestowed only 31 times since the 1800s. According to tradition, Inouye's casket sat underneath the Capitol dome, atop the Lincoln catafalque, the platform built in 1865 to support Abraham Lincoln's casket when that president's body lay in state. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Indang Dance and the Plate Dance (West Sumatra, Indonesia) performed by Rumah Gadang Group USA at the International Children’s Festival at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on Sunday May 6.

Pro-cycling reutrned to Arlington for its 15th season. Cycling pros from around the world competed in the Annual Air Force Cycling Classic, in Clarendon on Saturday June 9, 2012 and in Crystal City on Sunday June 10. The challenging criterium course features hairpin turns at speeds often exceeding 30 mph.

Fame All Stars - Super Seniors (Midlothian, VA)
Hundreds of competitors from Virginia to Pennsylvania gathered on January 7-8, 2012 for the 5th annual Live! DC regional cheerleading and dance competition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District. Participating teams competed in 5 class levels in a number of categories. The event was sponsored by The JAM brands (Louisville KY) which provides products and services for the cheerleading and dance industry.

LaDre Britt, a 14 year student from Dunbar High in Washington DC, sits on the steps in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on October 10, 2012. Britt's sign reads "Out of Many, One America". The Supreme Court was hearing a challenge to its long-standing ruling that race may be considered as a factor in the admissions process (affirmative action). Justices were debating the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. The outcome could have major implications for higher education. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

The Chinese-American community celebrated the Year of the Dragon with a parade that attracted thousands to the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington DC. The celebration, which took place on Sunday, January 29, 2012, included a dragon dance, a lion dance, kung fu demonstrations and the lighting of a giant firecracker.

Stacey Mastrian hits all the high notes in “Glitter and Be Gay”, a selection from Leonard Berstein's Candide during a special performance celebrating the 40th Anniversary of The Washington Savoyards on February 10, 2012 at Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington DC.

Flamenco is a unique art form that combines dancing, guitar playing, singing, and a stocatto handclapping. Seville's Rafaela Carrasco performed at GWU's Lisner Auditorium in Washinton DC on March 7 during Flemenco Festival 2012.

Kelli the clown teaches helps a youngster walk the "high"wire.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presented "Fully Charged" at the Verizon Center in Washington DC with shows on March 15-18, 2012.

The Art of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Children participate in video game action with live robots at the museum's Kogod Auditorium on March 18, 2012